Urban cockatoos
by Allen Friis
Here in Australia, bird lovers are spoilt when it comes to observing our different species of parrots and cockatoos. There is hardly a spot on the map that is not inhabited by at least one of these birds. Not only is it easy to observe most of our cockatoos, but they can be seen in a lot of cities and towns all around Australia.
Where I reside in the Hunter Valley, NSW, numbers of resident cockatoos have steadily increased over the years. Forty years ago there was not even a galah in the residential areas. Now we have Galah Cockatoos, Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Little Corellas, Long-billed Corellas and Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoos living, and sometimes breeding, in town.
With an increase in the human population, large tracts of woodland are being cleared to open new sub divisions. It seems to me that there is no consultation with concerned residents and the bulldozers just go in and destroy everything.